Arguments can arise over ‘Scrabble’ {thanks, THE BALTIMORE SUN}

I usually go out of my way to avoid hitting you guys over the head with Wham City-related news, as it seems a bit narcissistic given my being a member, but gosh darn it I just have to talk about “Game Night!”

Think about that guy or girl you were staring at on the light rail today, or that friendly barista who always gives you free flavor shots. Now imagine playing “Scrabble” with them, penetrating the restraints of commonality and small talk. You’re at “Game Night.” You walk in and see a pile of options, like a mountain of cognitive euphoria waiting to be plundered by eager “Scrabble” warriors and “Risk” takers. An unbridled geek catharsis awaits!

The multi-game event occurs at 8 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of every month at the Zodiac, 1726 N. Charles St., with multiple games and tables to challenge the adversary of your choosing.

Initially, I had low expectations for “Game Night,” at least as far as my own prowess was concerned. I’m the guy friends conveniently forget to call when there’s a “Risk” tournament being organized.

On my first night of play about a month ago, I ended up embroiled in a debate with fellow “Scrabble” compadres over the lawfulness of one player’s request to make up for a lost turn, given that he’d been busy the first round and unable to play. His plan was for each of us to lose a round while he placed his letters upon a landscape that was rife with triple-word squares. You see, as players expand from the board’s center, they edge closer to the much-prized triple-word squares. Clearly, having your choice of placement in such an environment has its benefits. I suspected a premeditated act of foul play, but it turned out I was just being a paranoid spazz.

Monday proved much less abrasive, though. I sat down to a rather mind-numbing game of “Mad About Movies.” This board game operates in a fashion similar to “Trivial Pursuit,” yet it’s primarily concerned with ridiculously obscure information (like, “Who played back-up piano in ‘Casablanca’ for 20 minutes in 1942?”). Of course that is a facetious dramatization, but apparently some people felt that I was making excuses for myself.

If a fistfight over vaguely worded game procedures sounds enticing to you, come join us at the Zodiac at 8 p.m. Jan. 15. It’s free and for the 21-and-older crowd. Feel free to bring your own game.

Ed Schrader is a member of the Wham City arts collective. Contact him at ed@whamcity.com

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